A farm share program providing fresh and locally grown produce to low-income seniors across Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties is seeking to expand its reach.

Now at the tail end of the season, Senior FarmShare — a program offered by the South Deerfield-based Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) — served 700 people in 2023. If fundraising efforts are successful, the program may serve as many as 1,000 seniors next year.

CISA is a nonprofit that supports local agriculture through programs, campaigning, technical assistance, education, research and other support.

“An important piece of our work is food access, and Senior FarmShare is a program that falls under that umbrella,” said CISA spokesperson Claire Morenon.

The program, which has existed for nearly two decades, partners with 15 local farms and 19 distribution sites, including senior centers and senior housing facilities.

“It’s a way that we can help provide nutritious, healthy food to low-income seniors, and kind of rely on the strengths of all partners who are involved,” Morenon explained. “We have relationships with farms, they’re able to grow the food, and then our senior center and council on aging partners are able to use their connections with seniors to make sure it gets to people who need it.”

For 10 weeks during the summer growing season, participants receive fresh produce, with shares valued at $145. Participants pay a one-time fee of $10 during enrollment, and many distribution sites accept payments using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) benefits to cover the fee.

The program is funded through a combination of state funding and donations from the public, and this year, for the third consecutive year, Rep. Daniel Carey, D-Easthampton, secured $75,000 in the state budget for the program.

“I’m glad to support the program in the budget each year knowing it will benefit our region by connecting our elderly neighbors with our local farms,” Carey said in a statement. “It is always the right time to get fresh, healthy produce into the hands of someone who needs it.”

“We cannot operate this program without the support of the Legislature,” Kelly Coleman, CISA’s deputy director, said in a statement. “Since it started in 2004, Senior FarmShare has provided over $800,000 directly to the pockets of local farmers, while providing that amount of food to feed seniors and their families. It can be very difficult to prioritize fresh fruits and vegetables on a budget, so we’re proud to provide the seniors who participate with an amazing variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Morenon said there is always more demand for the Senior FarmShare program than can be met, which is why it is seeking to expand its reach to more people.

“We hear from our distribution site partners, the senior centers and councils on aging, that there’s a lot more demand than they are able to meet in their own communities,” Morenon said. “We also know that there are many communities throughout the region where we don’t have Senior FarmShare distributions … so there’s plenty of room for expansion.”

CISA is currently raising money through its Growing Resilience campaign to expand the Senior FarmShare program to serve 1,000 participants in 2024. For more information, visit buylocalfood.org/growing-resilience.

Maddie Fabian can be reached at mfabian@gazettenet.com.